If I Were Allowed To Love You

Forty-Three

Melissa did want to make sure she looked good when she saw Lucas. She didn't want to give off the impression that she was a wreck without him. While she was at the start, she did feel herself moving on. She was happy for Theo and Lucas. She hoped they were still together.

That was the most anxious thought of them all. Was Lucas going to beg for her to come back to him? Did it not work between them, so he needed to ask her to come back to him? She loved Lucas, but she was no longer in love with him. She couldn't see herself ever falling back in love with him again. It no longer felt right.

It was right for Theo and Lucas to be together. They were soulmates. They were made for one another. Whatever argument may have caused them to split was not worth going back to her. Even if he was more just afraid of how she would be able to live her life on her own, it didn't matter. She was happy for him, even if he didn't believe her. A broken heart was worth him finding his true love.

When Melissa entered the café and spotted Lucas's head pop up nervously to greet her, she didn't feel her heart break. She didn't feel any grand bursts of excitement. She was happy to see her friend. Nothing more, nothing less.

Lucas stood up as Melissa approached the table near the back. He wiped his sweaty palm on the back of his jeans before reaching out for her hand and pulling her in close for a friendly kiss on the cheek. She pulled away with a smile and sat down with him.

"Hi," he softly said.

"Hi," she exhaled in glee. "I didn't think I would be seeing you anytime soon. I mean...you did move out to LA."

"No, we were just vacationing there. We plan to come back home, just..."

"Just not until I leave for the circus," she smirked. "If you want to come back sooner, you can. Ryan and I don't mind."

"You two been spending a lot of time together?"

"It's not like there are many people from high school left in this town." She slumped her hand into her cheek. "We ran into Evie and Tamara a few weeks ago."

He gulped. "How did they take the news?"

"I only told Tamara, and she seemed more concerned than anything. I have no idea how Evie will take it. She'll most likely be heartbroken." Lucas hung his head in shame. He didn't glance up until he felt Melissa's hand slip over his. "She'll just have to learn to understand that some people are meant to be in each other's lives to prepare you for what happens next."

"Is that how you view our relationship?"

She nodded. "I'm not your soulmate, Theo is. And I am so, so happy for you two. When I accepted your marriage proposal, I took on the responsibility of doing whatever it took to make you happy in your life. Even if that meant taking off the ring."

Lucas's eyes softened as he placed his free hand over Melissa's. She added her free hand as well and leaned over the table, meeting him halfway for a soft kiss on the lips. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too." She pulled away. "Now tell me all about what's been going between you and Theo."

"Are you sure?"

"I've moved on. As strange as it is, I moved on. I have accepted that we're never going to be married, and the fact that I was able to quickly accept it as my reality allowed me to move on faster. Trust me, I have no issues with you talking about Theo. I want to hear it all."

Lucas still wasn't convinced. He knew the way Melissa's mind worked. With how long it took to enter a relationship with her and build a strong foundation, there was no way she could have been over their breakup. What he did was horrible in its own right. He left her for someone else, even if she was the one to let him go, because the other person happened to be his soulmate.